YEAR IN REVIEW: Top stories from Western Stark in 2013

The year 2013 is finally in the books. And it provided plenty of stories for people both in western Stark County and beyond to talk about during the 365 days. Many of those stories germinated in the early months of the year. And still, nine, 10, 11 months later, those stories remained hot topics of conversation.

The year 2013 is finally in the books. And it provided plenty of stories for people both in western Stark County and beyond to talk about during the 365 days. Many of those stories germinated in the early months of the year. And still, nine, 10, 11 months later, those stories remained hot topics of conversation.

Stories of city financial issues, police standoffs and tragic deaths were plentiful in 2013. So, too, were stories of shuffling at the top of area police departments, in Massillon, Jackson Township and at the Stark County Sheriff’s Office. It wouldn’t be Stark County, either, if there wasn’t some noise made on the football field, both by Massillon and others. Nor would it be a normal year if a few area athletes didn’t manage to climb to the top of the podium in their respective sports as state champions.

Of course, with each year comes the somber reflections upon those who departed. In that regard, 2013 was no different.

As 2014 dawns, allow us to look back at a few of the stories that got people talking around the area, broken down by category. And understand that more than a few of these are likely to remain the subject of conversation as the new year gets going.

BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY

• H.J. Heinz Co. announced in November the addition of nearly 250 food-processing jobs at its Massillon processing facility. On top of those new jobs, it is planning a $28 million expansion. The city granted the company a nine-year job creation tax credit.

• The Chit Chat Coffee Shoppe closed under its previous owner, Wendy Suarez, in the Massillon Museum on Dec. 31. However, a new owner — Shelly David — plans to reopen the business on Jan. 13 at its previous location in the Maier building at 115 Lincoln Way W.

• Bordner’s grocery store, 2226 Lincoln Way W, saw its building lease expire on Dec. 14. That led to the store, which has been in existence since 1910, to close its doors. There is talk, though, of a Buehler’s moving into the vacant space.

CRIME/COURTS

• John Wise, the 68-year-old Massillon man who killed his wife in a “mercy killing” in an Akron hospital in 2012, was found guilty by a Summit County jury in December. The prosecutor asks for leniency from the judge, and he was sentenced to six years.

• Steven Bubenchik opened fire on Massillon police on Aug. 9 while barricaded in his home on the southwest side of the city. The 40-year-old man was found guilty on numerous charges — including three counts of felonious assault and one count of attempted murder — and is sentenced to 48 years in jail.

• A two-hour hostage situation at Great Clips on Indian River Road in Massillon ends with Shane Ryan being shot by police July 28. Ryan’s family said later that Ryan was battling mental illness. They also contended that police didn’t need to shoot him to bring the incident to a resolution. The results of a police review have yet to be made public.

Page 2 of 5 - • Alan J. Aeschlimann was convicted in August for the 2011 death of 2-year-old Bri’Sean Gamble. Aeschlimann was sentenced to 15 years to life for the crime.

• Massillon native William H. Teague was sentenced in November to 27 years in prison for a crime spree that involved robbing stores and assaulting several people. Teague, 39, was charged with four counts of aggravated robbery, aggravated burglary, felonious assault, two counts of grand theft of an auto vehicle and kidnapping. Violent repeat offender specifications, from a previous robbery conviction, also were attached.

CELEBRATIONS

• The Independent spent the year celebrating its 150th anniversary, including a pair of special sections in June and July commemorating the occasion. The paper published its first edition on July 3, 1863, with a report on the battle at Gettysburg.

• Perry Township began its bicentennial celebration in December. The township, which was believed to be founded in December 1813, will be holding events throughout 2014 to celebrate.

• The Massillon Museum celebrated the legacy of long-time Independent photographer Jack “One Shot” Worthington with an exhibit that debuted in November. The exhibit features many of the photographer’s images, which the museum digitized as part of an ongoing process to preserve more than 40,000 old Independent photographs.

EDUCATION

• The state of Ohio instituted a new Third Grade Reading Guarantee, which established new reading targets for students to pass or face being held back. Area students were tested in October, with roughly one-a third of those tested across the state scoring below proficient levels.

• Massillon City Schools and Fairless Local Schools saw different results when voters went to the polls in November. Massillon voters approved a renewal levy, while Fairless voters turned down an emergency levy.

• Former Massillon teacher and head basketball coach Matt Creamer was hired as the new principal at the Holy Cross Academy’s St. Barbara Campus. Creamer, who retired from teaching at Washington High School following the 2012-13 school year, was also hired as the varsity boys basketball coach at Central Catholic High School.

• Area schools continue to increase their levels of security in the wake of more school shootings across the country. The increases began in response to the 2012 shootings at Sandy Hook, although December brought another shooting in Arapahoe, Colo.

ENTERTAINMENT

• Stalley and Massillon City School officials were at odds in May over the Massillon native’s desire to film part of a rap video with students in the Washington High School gymnasium. District officials, though, refused to allow the rapper to use the school, setting off a wave of complaints, including an online petition.

• Thousands poured into the streets of downtown Massillon for the 24th annual Cruise-On-In and Dance Party on June 15. The event featured its usual array of classic cars, musical entertainment, a variety of foods and a fireworks extravaganza.

Page 3 of 5 - • Perry High School graduate Jason Farnham brought his “classical music with a twist” to the Lions Lincoln Theatre on July 19. Farnham returned to Stark County in November for a performance at Canton’s Palace Theatre.

• Michael Stanley and The Resonators was the headline act for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Festival’s Ribs Burnoff in Canton. The festival, which included the Drum Corps International Competition at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium, surrounded the induction of the Hall of Fame’s Class of 2013.

GOVERNMENT/POLITICS

• Ohio Auditor David Yost announced in October that the city of Massillon was being categorized as being in fiscal emergency due to substantial deficit balances in city funds. That announcement put the city under the oversight of a seven-member financial planning and supervision commission, which will work to fix the significant deficits in the city budget.

• The position of Stark County sheriff was a political football throughout the year as George T. Maier is twice appointed to the position by county Democrats. The initial appointment came as a result of the January resignation of Michael McDonald due to a terminal illness. After Maier was initially appointed in February, then-acting sheriff Timothy Swanson challenged Maier’s qualifications. The Ohio Supreme Court agreed with Swanson, leading to Maier’s ouster in November. However, in a second vote in December, Maier again beat Lt. Louis Darrow for the position.

• Jackson Police Chief David Zink announced in late November that he was retiring. The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation began an investigation into his conduct with women, which led the Jackson trustees to place Zink on paid administrative leave in April. Zink denied wrongdoing and no charges were filed.

• Keith Moser returned to his role as Massillon police chief in September after being demoted by Mayor Kathy Catazaro-Perry in June. At the time of demotion, Bill Peel was elevated to the position of interim chief, but the results of a July Civil Service Commission exam restored Moser to the role.

HEALTH/HOSPITALS

• Nurses at Affinity Medical Center spent much of the year in a dispute over their desire to organize under the National Nurses United union. The nurses voted in August to unionize, although two workers have filed a lawsuit challenging alleged “intimidation” by organizers to affect the outcome of that vote. Multiple times, nurses picketed outside the hospital, most recently in December.

• The Affordable Care Act took effect, but not without multiple complications and issues. One of the biggest came with the rollout of the HealthCare.gov site used to shop for plans, a site that dealt with a multitude of issues at the start.

• The year opened up with a harsh flu season, with a heavier-than-normal outbreak of the illness striking the area. In Massillon, health department officials stated in April that the season produced 37 cases of residents hospitalized from the flu, 35 more than the previous season.

Page 4 of 5 - IN MEMORIAL

• Gene Boerner passed away in July at age 79. Boerner’s contributions included serving as executive director of the Massillon Development Foundation along with being past president of the Massillon Area Chamber of Commerce. He also was heavily involved in the Massillon Tiger Football Booster Club while operating the Paul E. Brown Museum.

• Ron Green died in July at age 67. Green spent decades in the Massillon City Schools, capping it with a 15-year stint as assistant superintendent. He also served as a coach at Longfellow Junior High School.

• Don James passed away in October at age 80. James may be best known nationally for being the head football coach at the University of Washington, where he won a national championship, and Kent State University, where he won a Mid-American Conference title. James was born and raised in Massillon, graduating from Washington High School in 1950.

• Mary L. Brown passed away in December at age 83. Brown was the second wife of Massillon legend Paul Brown.

• C.J. Law passed away in December at age 26. A 2006 Northwest High School graduate, Law was a three-year standout for the Indians’ football program, both as a defensive back and quarterback.

SPORTS

• Massillon had its first state wrestling champion when senior 126-pounder Ivan McClay claimed the title in March. McClay, a three-time state placer for the Tigers, defeated Hillard Davidson’s Bobby Smith 3-1 to win the crown. McClay was one of three state wrestling champions from the area in 2013, joining Perry’s Jose Rodriguez and JoJo Tayse, who won his second straight title.

• Jackson swimmer Chase Kinney (50 freestyle, 100 freestyle) and Central Catholic diver Alex Gonzalez captured state championships during the Ohio State Swimming and Diving Championships in February. For Kinney, it was her second consecutive state title in the 50 freestyle.

• Massillon storied football program, a member of the large-school division for its entirety, made its debut in Division II this fall. The Tigers, who dropped when the OHSAA expanded to a seventh division this season, spent several weeks ranked No. 1 in the state Associated Press poll. However, they would finish the season 9-3 with a second-round playoff loss to Highland.

• Fairless’ football teams put together one of the school’s most historic seasons ever in going 8-4. The Falcons tied the school record for wins in a season, while making its second playoff appearance, earning their first playoff win and snapping lengthy losing streaks to rivals Tuslaw (16 years) and Manchester (28 years).

Page 5 of 5 - WEATHER

• The next-to-last week of January saw temperatures plunge into the single digits for multiple days. Between Jan. 21-23, the lows were 9, 3 and 1 degree, with a low of 10 degrees on Jan. 24.

n The Stark County area was hit with heavy rain and storms on July 10, including tornados that touched down in both Orrville and Mineral City. The rains that accompanied those storms led to heavy flooding across the area, as well as heavy damage to crops.

• The hottest week of the 2013 summer came in July — specifically July 15-19 — when the high temperature each day climbed up into the lower 90s. The hottest of those days was a high of 93 degrees on July 18, with the “lowest” high a 91-degree temperature on July 16 and again on July 19.

• The final year of the Ohio High School Football Championships — at least for the foreseeable future — in Stark County is plagued by significant snowfall on Dec. 6. The snow, more than four inches of it, descended on both Paul Brown Tiger Stadium and Fawcett Stadium, making footing slick and concealing the yard lines throughout the afternoon and evening.